Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 08-06-18

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From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] PASCOE - PRESS CONFERENCE

[02] CHRISTOFIAS - TALAT - MEETING

[03] EP PLENARY - MISSING PERSONS

[04] CYPRUS - FIRES

[01] PASCOE - PRESS CONFERENCE

Speaking at a press conference at Ledra Palace in the UN-controlled buffer zone, having concluded a visit to Cyprus, Pascoe said the advisers of the leaders would be meeting on Thursday with the UN Secretary General`s Special Representative in Cyprus Taye Brook Zerihoun, in order to set the date of the next meeting between President of the Republic Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat, which he hoped would take place next week.

Referring to his meetings on Tuesday with the leaders of the two communities, Pascoe said he found that ``the two leaders are very committed to moving forward and finally resolving the Cyprus problem and to getting a unified Cyprus,`` adding that ``this is a huge effort that has been going on for so many years and is one that the UN want to be as totally supportive of as we possibly can be.``

``The process is centered here, what the two leaders decide and their teams decide is what is important to its people. The rest of us on the outside are trying to be helpful. I think the two leaders were off to a very good start with the March 21 and the May 23 statements. The UN and the entire international community are solemnly behind their statements and the direction to which they are heading,`` he added.

Referring to the working groups and technical committees (bicommunal teams of experts), Pascoe said ``this process is going quite well,`` adding that his understanding is that they will continue ``as a supporting mechanism to help the leaders who are going to be working on the hard political questions`` and expressed hope that ``as the time goes on, hopefully we will have agreements out of these groups.``

Replying to questions, Pascoe said the leaders of the two communities ``are working along very well, we are trying to be helpful to the process where we can.``

``The advisers of the two leaders are to meet with Mr. Zerihoun tomorrow to set the date of the next meeting between the two leaders, which should come hopefully next week, schedules permitting. Of course there are going to be bumps in the road and ups and downs but my strong sense is that the overall direction is a very positive one. I remain optimistic that the process is moving forward and I think we will be getting in substantive talks in the not too distant future,`` Pascoe noted.

He added that ``the process has been moving forward and the leaders` statement on the 23rd of May is extremely encouraging of the process and moving things forward and what they are going to be doing.``

[02] CHRISTOFIAS - TALAT - MEETING

Replying to questions regarding Tuesday evening`s dinner with UN Undersecretary General Lynn Pascoe, President Christofias said he wished Talat had attended.

He said they did not discuss the Cyprus problem in depth but ``exchanged views on possible developments`` and talked about ``international issues and our everyday life.``

``It is clear that in a new meeting, my effort will be to clearly redefine the basis on which the Cyprus problem will be solved,`` President Christofias said, adding that he saw ``no reason for Mr. Talat to react because we are talking about a state with a single sovereignty, citizenship and international personality.``

He expressed hope that ``this will be clarified so that we have the same prospect before us, speaking the same language.``

[03] EP PLENARY - MISSING PERSONS

Ewa Klamts report on missing persons in Cyprus, adopted by 620 votes in favor, four against and seventeen abstentions, calls on the parties concerned to continue the honest and sincere cooperation aimed at a speedy completion of the appropriate investigations into the fate of all missing persons in Cyprus and to give full effect to the ECHR judgment of 10 May 2001.

After this development, the EP supports the allocation of further financial support to the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) in Cyprus, which is engaged in efforts to establish the fate of those missing from the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities, for the years 2009 onwards and considers it essential to provide for an additional amount of EUR 2 million in the general budget of the EU for 2009.

According to the Motion for a EP Resolution, the European Parliament also autohorises the rapporteur and the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to take all possible steps to convince all parties concerned to contribute sincerely and actively to the endeavours in the investigations into the fate of each and every missing person.

[04] CYPRUS - FIRES

Early on Wednesday morning a fire broke out at Ora village in Larnaca district.

Cypriot firemen with the assistance of two helicopters from Greece, which joined the effort, are battling to put the raging fires under control.

The big raging front is between the villages of Akapnou and Klonari while a second front between Vikla and Kelaki was placed under control.

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